“Yes, Mama.”
We divvy up the food, and Bones leans over to me. “Such a toughie.”
“Is it bad that I’m actually impressed with their powers? They’re amazing,” I whisper back.
“I know,” he replies quietly. “But we can’t let them know… they already run the show enough as it is!”
“Yeah, and for all we know they’re psychic, too!”
He smiles and slips his hand around mine. We spend the rest of the afternoon just being together outside and enjoying the early fall weather. As the sun begins to dip behind the mountains, we gather up our things.
“Tatiana, would you mind taking Michael and Kayla back to the cabin for us?” Bones asks. “We’ll be along in a bit.”
“Of course. Come along, dears.” Michael and Kayla each grab onto one of her outstretched hands and skip along beside her.
We stand there and watch them as they disappear down the path, our hearts swollen with love. Bones wraps his hand around mine again.
“Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he smiles with a twinkle in his eyes.
Hand-in-hand we walk deeper into the woods, down the path that leads to the portal of Thiberoux. Things have calmed down there considerably as of late, but there’s still plenty of turmoil that I want to keep my children away from. One day I will introduce them to that special world, and to their true heritage and unique destinies. But not now.
These days we much prefer to spend most of our time in Mortal World, only going to Thiberoux when absolutely necessary, like when Bones has Hellhound duty, or I want to ride Diablo. We seldom even go to Dryndara’s new Demon Bar, now that we can port directly into Club Hades for Ruby’s special pregnancy concoctions. Last time I was there I ran into Kieron, and he told me he and Jade were engaged to be married. I couldn’t be happier for them both.
It’s taken a while, but the surviving residents have been able to rebuild Dryndara and return it to much of its previous glory. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but at least my beloved homeland lives on.
Bones suddenly grabs my arm. “Stop here.”
I glance around. “Why? What’s here?”
“Do you know this spot?”
“Of course. It’s where you and I first met, and you gave me this.” I hold up my Boumeaux.
“We’ve come a long way since then, you and I.” He delicately smoothes my hair from my face. I look into his eyes, and my heart begins to race. Even after all this time, his touch still sets my blood on fire.
“And we still have so much further to go,” I whisper.
His mouth finds mine and I’m lost in his powerful embrace, as the heat from his body joins the inferno inside me. I peel his shirt off over his head, and my breath quickens as I admire his smooth, sculpted body, unchanged by the passage of time. Slowly I draw a line of kisses down his chest to the top of his jeans.
His hands roam through my hair and down my back, and our kisses grow more passionate. Then he lays me down gently on the earth, cushioning my head with his arm.
The dried leaves and twigs rustle as he leans his full weight on top of me, a perfect fit as our two bodies meld into one. His bare skin is so soft over his hard muscles, and I gasp for breath before his lips press again on mine. His hands roam my body as if I am his most treasured possession, created for him and him alone.
This claiming of me. This ultimate surrender of my soul to his. I am on fire.
But he doesn’t just take. He gives. His fingertips dance along my arms and face, and saying nothing, he tells me so much. This is no ordinary kiss. No ordinary touch. No ordinary love.
For he is no ordinary man.
I am his. And he is mine.
Forever.
*** THE END ***
**Note from Penelope**
My Dear, Awesome, Amazing Readers,
From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you for going on this journey with me. I am so grateful that you shared your life with these characters for a while.
Readers of the Spellbound Trilogy will recognize the familiar setting and characters. For those of you who have not yet checked it out, I invite you to experience Anastasia’s magical world with her granddaughter, Calista, for yourselves.
. Please check my blog at authorpenelopeking.blogspot.com or friend me on Facebook (Penelope King) or follow me on Twitter for updates on that and other future releases.
One final thought. I love getting reviews, good or bad. Nothing makes me happier than connecting with readers and getting your feedback. I do listen, because this is also YOUR story. But I have a request. Since this is SUCH a spoilery book… (okay, even if we all suspected that Vincent was Bones, wasn’t it fun to not really know 100% for sure? ;-)) I just ask that in your reviews you please be mindful of those who haven’t yet read the story, and try to protect their experience as you would like yours protected. Revealing important plot points only hurts other readers, and we are all book lovers here, right? :-)
Speaking of…I really do love you all. If you’ve made it this far and you are still reading, then just know that right now I’m giving you a big (((((e-hug))))). Thanks for going down this crazy road with me. I couldn’t have done it without you!!
XOXOXOX
Penelope King
The Complete Demonblood Saga: A Demon Made Me Do It; Fire With Fire; Curse of Shadows and Light Page 72
